Anatomy of Supports

This section breaks the support system into the geometry and behavior of each building block.

If you want the quick naming summary, start with Support Types. If you want the implementation-oriented breakdown, use the pages below.

Core primitives

• Roots
• Shaft
• Joint
• Knot
• Contact Cone

Support types

• Trunk
• Branch
• Brace
• Kickstand
• Leaf
• Twig
• Stick

Research notes

• Contact Tip Research

At a glance

Element	What it does	Key constraint
Roots	Grounds a trunk on the plate or raft	Must stay on the build surface
Shaft	Carries load between endpoints	Must remain straight per segment
Joint	Changes angle without moving endpoints	Keeps shaft diameters matched across the joint
Knot	Attaches one support to another	Slides only along a host shaft
Contact Cone	Connects a support to the model	Touches the model only at the tip
Trunk	Main grounded support	Starts from Roots
Branch	Support extending from another support	Does not use Roots
Brace	Support-to-support stabilizer	Never touches the model
Kickstand	Grounded support that terminates on another support	Must end on a valid trunk or branch shaft
Leaf	Minimal support contact with integrated knot	No shaft, no joint
Twig	Model-to-model support with one continuous body	Does not attach to supports
Stick	Model-to-model support with a central hub	Does not attach to supports